Self-rising straw



Oct. 12, 1965 R. J. BURTON SELF-RISING STRAW Filed Jan. 13. 1964INVENTOR. ROBERTJ. BUR TON A TTORNZZYS United States Patent 3,211,379SELF-RISING STRAW Robert J. Burton, 14 Elk Place, Niagara Falls, N.Y.,as-

signor of fifty percent to Frank P. Becker, Niagara Falls, N.Y. I

Filed Jan. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 337,405 Claims. (Cl. 239-33) The presentinvention relates to a bottled beverage sipping or drinking straw, andmore particularly to an improved drinking straw adapted to be enclosedin bottles containing carbonated beverages and to be self-rising intoconveniently usable position upon removal of the bottle cap.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improveddrinking straw as aforesaid which may be contained within a bottle ofcarbonated beverage, and which will automatically rise to drinking orsipping position when the bottle is uncapped.

Another object is to provide an improved straw as aforesaid which is ofimproved structural simplicity and inexpensive to manufacture; which istotally antiseptic and insoluble and otherwise inert to the beverage;and which will automatically float to sipping position with improvedfacility and precision.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing specification and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view partly in section, showing a preferredembodiment of the invention disposed within a capped beverage containerof the currently popular soft drink type;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view thereof after the cap has been removed andthe drinking straw has risen to beverage sipping position;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the bottom end of the straw, assuggested by line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section on enlarged scale showing gas bubblesadhering to one of the finger portions of the bottom end of the straw ofthe invention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the invention in conjunction with a bottle 10,which may be formed of any suitable material such as glass, forcontaining a carbonated beverage as indicated at 12. The bottle is shownas having a top closure or cap 14, which of course may also be of anysuitable type. The straw of the invention is de signated generally at15, and is shown to comprise a tubular main stem portion 16, the lowerend of which has been split to provide a plurality of separate fingerportions 18. The fingers 18 are simply bent radially outwardly into theinclined attitudes thereof as shown in FIGS. 1, 2; whereby to present touprising gas bubbles in the beverage, frontal areas as designated at 20(FIG. 3) of substantial extent. It will be understood that the processesof splitting the lower end and outwardly bending thefingers 18 may bereadily performed by any preferred automatic or semi-automatic machinearrangement, or the like, at almost negligible cost incidental tomanufacture of the straw per se. Thus, it will be appreciated that anenlarged inverted, cup-shaped screenlike configuration has been added tothe bottom end of the straw by means of simple and inexpensivemanufacturing procedures.

It is well known that the currently used types of sipping straws,although being made of different materials, are generally of the same orhigher specific gravity chara-cteristics as are bottled beverages of forexample, the soft drink type, such as are preferably sipped through astraw. Consequently, the conventional straw tends to sink in thebeverage. The present invention, provides an improved arrangement forcapturing the gas bubbles which generate and rise actively within thebeverage when the compression-sealed cap is removed, and especially ifthe bottle is incidentally shaken.

Such gas bubbles as rise from the bottom portion of the bottle beneaththe screen provided by the outspread fingers 18 of the straw of thepresent invention, collect within this inverted cup-shaped screen-likeportion of the straw and cling (due to the surface tension phenomenon)to the finger surface areas as illustrated for example at 22 (FIG. 4).Thus the clinging bubbles of gas buoy the straw upwardly; and,overcoming the previous specific gravity differential, cause the strawto rise in the body of the beverage so that the upper end of the strawextends above the uncapped top of the bottle into position offering easyaccess to the lips of the drinker. Simply shaking the bottle increasesthe rate of etfervescence or bubble generation, and therefor isinstinctively employed by the user if need be to cause the straw to movemore rapidly and/ or to be preferred elevation.

It is contemplated that the straw of the invention may be fabricated ofany suitable material, such as plastic, or the like; the prime requisitebeing that the material used shall be of sanitary and non-allegricnature; insoluble and chemically inert with respect to the beverage;taste less and otherwise unobnoxious; and yet inexpensive and easy tofabricate as explained hereinabove. Thus, it will be appreciated thatthe invention provides a structurally simplified yet improved form ofself-elevating straw which may be machine-made and inserted in abeverage bottle incidental to filling and capping thereof; whereby nohuman hands need touch the parts. Then upon uncapping the bottle thestraw automatically rises up through the mouth of the bottle into usefulposition.

It will of course be appreciated that although only one form of theinvention has been illustrated and described in detail hereinabove,various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit ofthe invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A sipping straw for use in containers of the bottle type ofcarborated or effervescent beverages, comprising an elongated tubularstraw member being split at its bottom end to provide a plurality ofseparate finger portions, said finger portions being bent radiallyoutwardly to provide inclined finger devices defining an invertedcupshaped screen-like element integral with the bottom end of said strawmember, said cup-shaped screen element being disposed at the bottom endthereof to be immerse within the beverage contained within a cappedbottle for intercepting bubbles of effervescent gases liberatedtherebelow from the beverage upon release of the bottle cap andcomprission forces on the beverage, which bubbles of gas cling to saidfinger devices and thereby act to cause said straw member to riserelative to the beverage to elevate the upper end of said straw abovethe uncapped opening of the bottle into beverage sipping position.

2. A sipping straw for use in containers of the bottle type forcarbonated or effervescent beverages, comprising an elongated tubularstraw member being split at its bottom end to provide a plurality ofseparate finger portions, said finger portions being bent radiallyoutwardly to provide inclined finger devices defining an invertedcomically-shaped screen-like element integral with the bottom end ofsaid straw member, said screen element being disposed at the bottom endthereof whereby when said straw is immersed within the beveragecontained within a capped bottle the screen element is disposed forintercepting bubbles of effervescent gases liberated therebelow from thebeverage upon release of the bottle cap and compression forces on thebeverage, whereby said 3 bubbles act to cause said straw member to riserelative to the beverage to elevate the upper end of said straw abovethe uncapped opening of the bottle into beverage sipping position.

3. A sipping straw for use in containers of the bottle type forcarbonated or effervescent beverages, comprising an elongated tubularstraw member being formed at its bottom end with a plurality ofdownwardly directed separate finger portions, said finger portions beingbent radially outwardly to provide inclined surfaces defining ascreen-like element integral with the bottom end of said straw member,said screen element being disposed at the bottom end thereof to beimmersed within the beverage contained within a capped bottle forintercepting bubbles of effervescent gases liberated therebelow from thebeverage upon release of the bottle cap and compression forces on thebeverage.

4. A sipping straw for use in containers of the bottle type foreffervescent beverages, comprising an elongated tubular straw memberhaving at its bottom end a plurality of separate finger portions, saidfinger portions being inclined radially outwardly and thereby definingan inverted cup-shaped screen-like element integral with the bottom endof said straw member and thereby adapted to be immersed within thebeverage contained within a capped bottle for intercepting bubbles ofeffervescent gases liberated therebelow from the beverage upon releaseof the bottle cap and compression forces on the beverage, whereby gasbubbles cling to said finger devices and thereby act to cause said strawmember to rise relative to the beverage to elevate the upper end of saidstraw above the uncapped opening of the bottle into beverage sippingposition.

5. A sipping straw for use in containers for carbonated beveragescomprising, in combination,

an elongate tubular body member having a length less than the depth ofthe container within which it is associated,

said body portion having an integral lower end portion flaringdownwardly and outwardly to terminate at the lower end of the bodymember in a region of substantially greater area than the area definedby the body portion, said lower end portion being defined by a pluralityof separate finger members of substantially uniform widths throughoutand lengths to provide slits between adjacent finger members which areprogressively narrow toward the juncture of the finger members with thetubular body portion, whereby the increased area as aforesaid and theprogressively narrowing slits afford maximal areas for the accummulationof bubbles for buoying the straw.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,253,579 1/18Deanes 23933 2,979,267 4/61 Miller 239-33 3,099,565 7/63 Neuhauser 23933FOREIGN PATENTS 1,136,439 12/56 France. 1,180,572 12/58 France.

M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

EVERETT W. KIRBY, Examiner.

1. A SIPPING STRAW FOR USE IN CONTAINERS OF THE BOTTLE TYPE OFCARBORATED OR EFFERVESENT BEVERAGES, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED TUBULARSTRAW MEMBER BEING SPLIT AT ITS BOTTOM END TO PROVIDE A PLURALITY OFSEPARATE FINGER PORTIONS, SAID FINGER PORTIONS BEING BENT RADIALLYOUTWARDLY TO PROVIDE INCLINED FINGER DEVICES DEFINING AN INVERTEDCUPSHAPED SCREEN-LIKE ELEMENT INTEGRAL WITH THE BOTTOM END OF SAID STRAWMEMBER, SAID CUP-SHAPED SCREEN ELEMENT BEING DISPOSED AT THE BOTTOM ENDTHEREOF TO BE IMMERSE WITHIN THE BEVERAGE CONTAINED WITHIN A CAPPEDBOTTLE FOR INTERCEPTING BUBBLES OF EFFERVESCENT GASES LIBRATEDTHEREBELOW FROM THE BEVERAGE UPON RELEASE OF THE BOTTLE CAP ANDCOMPRISSION FORCES ON THE BEVERAGE, WHICH BUBBLES OF GAS CLING TO SAIDFINGER DEVICES AND THEREBY ACT TO CAUSE SAID STRAW MEMBER TO RISERELATIVE TO THE BEVERAGE TO ELEVATE THE UPPER END OF SAID STRAW ABOVETHE UNCAPPED OPNING OF THE BOTTLE INTO BEVERAGE SIPPING POSITION.